U.S. men’s national team boss Gregg Berhalter on Monday released his preliminary Copa America roster for a pair of June friendlies against Brazil and Colombia, with 27 players called into camp in advance of what will eventually be a 26-man roster for this summer’s marquee event.
But questions loom.
Who slots into the XI to replace an injured Sergino Dest? Does Berhalter need to tweak his tactics and formation without his star defender? What about out-of-form stars such as Gio Reyna and Folarin Balogun?
And then there’s the roster itself: were the right choices made, and has anyone been snubbed?
All valid questions, and our GOAL US writers weigh in with the latest edition of…The Rondo.
Who is the biggest snub from the June camp roster?
Tom Hindle: To be fair, I think Berhalter has got this mostly right. He’s kept the big guns around, and although there’s no obvious Dest replacement, Scally is a decent – if underwhelming – shout.
If anyone can feel aggrieved, it’s Auston Trusty. A Premier League center back, with 30 plus starts this season – albeit for statistically the worst defense in history – he certainly knows how to play against the best.
Respect where it’s due to Miles Robinson and Cameron Carter-Vickers, but Trusty should sneak in over one of those guys. Still, as major issues go, we’re talking about fourth-string center backs.
Ryan Tolmich: There are two players that immediately come to mind: Trusty and Lennard Maloney.
Both logged big minutes in top leagues, and neither had their names called for this squad. Of the two, Trusty’s slight is the toughest. Maloney has more experienced players ahead of him, while Trusty is very much part of a big battle for a centerback spot. Unfortunately for him, he was Berhalter’s sixth choice in a five-horse race despite playing the most games at the highest level in the competition.
Overall, though, it’s splitting hairs. The USMNT’s fate won’t be determined by players 23-26, even if there is plenty of reason to debate those spots.
Jacob Schneider: Someone has to be the odd one out here: Trusty has not been snubbed. Though he’s a talented defender, being a part of the worst defense in Premier League history essentially puts you in a hole. Maloney, meanwhile, should be upset that Timmy Tillman has been called up ahead of him.
And the name that we have not been talking about – don’t quite understand why – is Alejandro Zendejas. He’s been lights-out in Mexico for Club America, arguably the most storied and talented franchise across North America.
The U.S. winger pool is deep, but things are bleak in terms of right-wing depth. With 26 players on the roster, was there really not room for someone like Zendejas in the attack?
Folarin Balogun, Josh Sargent, Ricardo Pepi: Who do you start at striker?
TH: None of them? All of them?
Ask nine months ago, and it’s Balogun, pretty much without doubt. The dude can put the ball in the net, and banged in 20-plus in Ligue 1. Farmer’s league jokes aside, average strikers don’t accidentally hit those kinds of numbers. Today? It gets a bit more complicated, especially after Balogun’s middling season.
It feels like Pepi had his moment two years ago, and hasn’t delivered since. Not quite convinced he’s all that – at least not yet. Form suggests that Sargent is the right choice, but he never made it happen in the Prem, either. On balance, you probably go with the guy who can do it at the highest level.
Pop Balogun up there, but I don’t think Sargent is too far behind.
JS: If Sargent is healthy, he’s the pick. He’s long been the most naturally talented striker in the U.S. pool. He has excelled in all situations for Norwich City this year, and at one point, had the most headed goals across the top-two divisions in England – even more than Erling Haaland.
Then again, you don’t just casually score 20+ goals in Ligue 1. Balogun is a sensational striker, but his form is woeful, and he’s lacking confidence.
Pepi is better suited to represent the U.S. at the Paris Olympic Games this summer. However, for Copa America, he will be able to provide an electric presence off the bench.
Berhalter should start the forward who can bag goals at the moment, and that’s Sargent.
RT: It’s conditional, isn’t it?
It feels like it’s between Balogun and Sargent, but the answer could be both. Sargent could be the guy against Bolivia and Panama, inferior teams that bunker down. Balogun could be the guy against Uruguay and some of the late-tournament heavy-hitters due to his pace and intelligence in making runs.
All of this depends on Sargent’s health. If he’s healthy, a split of the two is best for business.
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Without Dest available, should Berhalter tweak his system?
TH: In theory, sure. In practice, probably not. Dest is a very good attacking full back, who has proved that he can deliver for the USMNT.
Yet he’s not such a major loss that Berhalter – a manager so tactically inflexible it physically hurts – has to tear the whole thing apart. Injuries are always going to be a problem for national teams. And you can see why changes need to be made to account for missing superstars. France would have to change without Mbappe, Argentina without Messi, etc.
Not quite convinced that a pretty good full back doing his knee is worth scrapping your system. Then again, it might be fun for the manager to try something new – for once.
JS: If Joe Scally isn’t your man, yes, change the system. If he is, no.
There’s only one reason you’d tweak anything, and it would be to move Tim Weah to RWB in a back-five system with Antonee Robinson opposite.
It sure as hell would be fun to see, but the point of those two matches against Brazil and Colombia isn’t to test things out. It’s to nail everything down. The testing window was March, and that time has passed.
That said, the U.S. should tweak their front-three to move Christian Pulisic to the right side of the pitch if they do opt for a back-five. He has excelled there for Milan, and Haji Wright has more than earned a chance to start on the left with him.
RT: They’re going to have to adjust, in some ways. No player can do what Dest does, which is going to change how the U.S. approaches the right-hand side. Weah’s job is made easier by Dest’s attacking skills and, without that, it’ll all look different.
But a big formation tweak? Probably not. Berhalter has his ideas and style and, even without Dest, this is a team suited to them. No need to reinvent the wheel for one player, even if that wheel could use a bit of adjusting.
Which player needs the June camp most to impress?
TH: The logical answer here is Brendan Aaronson. A couple of years ago, it seemed he might be a crucial part of this team through 2026 and beyond.
This next month figures to be a good opportunity for him to get back on track, and show that he can compete for minutes among a squad that has approximately 56 attacking midfielders and no real wingers. But he’s probably not getting in this team.
Realistically, then, it’ll be Gio Reyna.
He didn’t get a kick at Forest, and he’s quite comfortably the most talented footballer Berhalter has at his disposal. He’s not going to be dropped altogether, but Reyna has to show he is at least sharp enough to earn a spot.
JS: There’s two obvious answers: Matt Turner and Scally. The Nottingham Forest goalkeeper may truly be getting his last hoorah as the starting shotstopper at Copa America. He lost his starting spot at the club level, lost the support of their fans, and isn’t even a consensus starter for the national team. With the likes of Patrick Schulte, Gaga Slonina and Diego Kochen all on the rise, Turner needs this June to cement his status.
Scally, meanwhile, has more expectations than anyone else in this camp. The assumption is he will start at right-back in place of the injured Dest, and as such, he has shoes unlike any other to fill. The Gladbach defender had a rough moment in the March international window against Jamaica, and was arguably slammed too much for it. However, it was a much-needed learning moment for the 21-year-old.
For someone who started 25 of 31 Bundesliga games for his club this season, he sure gets a lot of stick from USMNT fans. This June is his chance to respond.
RT: There’s a clear answer here, and that’s Scally. With Dest gone, Scally is next up and, thus far, hasn’t shown he’s ready. Scally is yet to have a true breakout USMNT performance, partly because his chances have been somewhat spread out.
He’ll get his opportunity this summer and, if he seizes it, who knows what happens after the Copa? First, he’ll need to prove that he’s up for the challenge by performing against Colombia and Brazil. If he does that, he could earn Berhalter’s trust and prevent any of the big tactical tweaks mentioned above.
Berhalter can also use Weston McKennie or Weah as a right-back but, the US will be better if Scally makes it so he doesn’t have to.
What does the U.S. do with an out-of-form Reyna?
TH: Play him. Get him in the XI, and see if he can still make things happen. Is Reyna as good as the world seems to think he is? We could find out if he gets the chance to play this sport consistently for a team that will let him do all of the fun attacking stuff he does best. He’s a fun sort of player, incredibly talented but also preferring to operate off the cuff. That doesn’t really happen much anymore, and the guys who are like that tend to have their instincts stifled (see Jack Grealish at Man City).
Berhalter isn’t going to let Reyna vibe his way through 90 minutes. He probably shouldn’t be on the pitch for more than an hour (he’s not fit enough.) But he deserves the chance to have a crack at it; he’s too good not to. If he acts up, the manager would be wise to put his foot down (says he who has never managed a second of this sport in his life).
JS: You need to play Reyna, but that doesn’t necessarily mean in a starting role. Hell, Malik Tillman is looking in fine form. But the thing about Reyna is that he can be a game changer. He knows how to take a moment, make it his and – often in a seemingly selfish way – step into the limelight.
What you don’t want to see is Reyna deployed on the wing. You take away from every quality he brings to the center of the pitch by doing so; let him be a free-roaming 10 who expresses creativity on and off the ball.
RT: Form matters, but what matters most is quality. And based on what we’ve seen, you can’t deny Reyna’s. He hasn’t been fully “in-form” for a year, but he’s continued to thrive with the USMNT. It’s similar to how Pulisic was able to push on despite his Chelsea struggles.
Sometimes the national team is a safe haven that allows players to put club struggles behind them. It feels like that’s the case for Reyna. Because of that, he’s worth starting, particularly in those first two games against Bolivia and Panama, who won’t challenge the USMNT midfield as much.
After that, TBD. But these two June games are a good chance to determine how a Reyna-led midfield could look against some better opponents at Copa America.
